Friday, 29 January 2016

Let's go over the border to Mali, bought this K7 in 1992 during a trip through Mali, actually the first time I went out of Europe. Don't remember why nor where I bought it, but I guess on the road somewhere between Segou and Mopti.

I don't have and couldn't find on the web any further info about this one, except that it was issued through Camara Productions. Which is still existing and, even after more than 20 years located at the same address in Paris (see sleeve and website), they also are running a youtube channel with Malian music and TV series.Ablaye plays the strings (of his guitar), a little in the vein of the late Ali Farka Toure, and his Orchestra could very well be his family (i.e.wife and daughters on vocals and one of his sons on calabash percussion), but as you understand that's just my wild guess.
I must admit that I hadn't played it in a long long time, but recently found it between my stuff and now quit enjoy listening to it.

Thursday, 28 January 2016

Since 1989 held in the small village of Hertme in the east of The Netherlands. Have been there only once in the early 1990s, later on I was never near enough to be be possible to visit it again. But now watching (youtube channel), reading (songlines article) and listening (see under), should really just go there once more (this year it will be held on 2016.Jul.02/03).
Here are two live recordings to wet your appetite and for listening pleasure:Mama, Sayon & Sona Diabate - 2000 live in Hertme

The recording has been embedded in:From Dust to Digital: Ten Years of the Endangered Archives Programme. [editor: Maja Kominko]ch.17: Music for a revolution: the sound archives of Radio Télévision Guinée - by Graeme Counsel.Open Book Publishers, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0052.17

This digital recording has been produced as part of the Endangered Archive Programme of the British Library. (c) with permission from Sterns Music, all rights reserved.

Thursday, 21 January 2016

After going around our globe, back to a K7 from Guinee, one from Kerfala Kanté, nicknamed 'the bird of Sankara'. Bought this one because it looked good, and well I was right and lucky, his debut solo K7 and one of his best!
Kerfala, born 1959 in Koumandikoura in a musical family, is a multi instrumentalist, playing balafon and acoustic guitar when he was just 15. Later on also kora and he joined both the Tropical Djoli Band and Balla et ses Balladins, before going solo. He could make this first K7 with some help from the Guinean Radio (RTG).

Here's the opening song of the K7:

His place of birth, Koumandikoura, is not far from Faranah, a town which I visited in 1993/94. Faranah is most 'famous' for being the birthplace of Sékou Touré, the former president of Guinee from 1958 till 1984. During his presidency he arranged quit some development in Faranah, like a conference centre and a palace.
At my visit I stayed in his former palace, which was transformed into the town's main hotel. The building was very nice, the highest in town, so with beautiful views over Faranah and surroundings. The rooms were big, the bathroom the size of a normal living room and fully equipped with all available sanitary fixtures.
Just one main problem was, that nothing worked, you couldn't get one drop of water out of the shiny taps. So showering, as I was used to in Guinee, with bucket and drinking cup, which I didn't and don't mind, but felt pathetic in the middle of such a luxurious bathroom. Unfortunately didn't make a single picture from the hotel, so only have my memories.

Thursday, 14 January 2016

The two first post were about music from Guinea, where you can the best mangos, but now let's open up to other, some even mango-less, parts of our globe.
Here's a recording from the BBC Radio3 Awards for World Music 2006 Concert, it was held at 2006.Apr.07 at the Brixton Academy, London and broadcasted 2006.Apr.10 on BBC Radio3. A little later it has been on television on BBC FOUR and this recording is from a broadcast on BBC World Service. The broadcast was an 1 hour edit of the concert and taped on K7 from FM radio (so, outside the UK, should be better than from internet stream).

It's a wirlwind of musical styles, performed for a very enthousiastic crowd, the show was presented by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, the audio has been cutted into individual tracks (some with relevant intro), interviews and voice-overs from the World Service.Short infos about performing artists:1.Fanfare Ciocarlia: a high speed brass band from north-east Romania, they would receive a speeding ticket if they would drive as fast as they play (bbc / wiki / video / docu)2.Souad Massi: an Algerian born singer-songwriter, playing music as she herself states from the cross roads of Folkrock, Pop and WorldMusic (bbc / wiki / video)3.Konono No.1: a group, formed in 1966, from Kinshasa in Congo and playing electric amplified likembes (traditional thumb pianos) together with other instruments, their style was named 'Congotronics' by their producer Vincent Kenis from Crammed Discs (bbc / wiki / video) 4.Ry Cooder: an American multi-instrumentalist, who's making music since the late 1960s and still going strong, he is best known for his slide guitar work and has played with Captain Beefheart, Ali Farka Toure, Buena Vista Social Club and many many more (bbc / wiki / video) 5.Sain Zahoor: a Sufi street singer from Lahore Pakistan playing the 'ektara', an according to him more than 1000 year old instrument (bbc / wiki / video)6.Armenian Navy Band: band founded by Arto Tuncboyacıyan performing compositions taken from the tradition and from the current culture of Armenia (bbc / wiki / video) 7.Amadou & Mariam: blind couple of Mali, he's playing the guitar and both are singing, they met in the Bamako School for the Blind and became romantically involved with each other, their personal and musical fairytale still continues (bbc / wiki / video) BBC R3 Awards for World Music 2006 (bbc)Note to 1-3: in the passed years original founders of above bands, Ioan Ivancea from Fanfare Ciocarlia and Mingiedi Mawangu from Konono No.1, have died, but both bands have continued and still play their music.

Played this one a lot and still really really like it. Unfortunately not all (actually most) people, who heard some of this K7, appreciated it. I can imagine that if you're ears and mind are accustomed to hear/listen to western (pop)music only, but if you open yourself to sounds of other parts of our earthly globe (i.e.north/east/south), you may discover an enourmous wealth of culture, which will really enrich your life!!!!
Back to Kade Diawara, there's not alot of information about her, here's what I know and found:

-in the book "World Music: Africa, Europe and the Middle East":
(on pg.551) One of the finest woman singers of the 1970s was the Guinean Kade Diawara, "the Archangel of Mande". She had a typically Guinean, open throated, liquid-sounding voice. In the 1980s she stopped singing - the result, so was said, of witchcraftdirected at her by rival singers - but in 1992 she made a strong comeback with her cassette "Kade Diawara - L'Eternelle", with a semi-acoustic backing ensemble.
(in discography on pg.561) Kade Diawara - Guinea's finest female singer in the Mande tradition.
K7 - L'Archange du Manding (Bolibana, Guinea-Conakry/France) - Rolling love songs with acoustic guitar accompaniment. Classic 1970s recording. [must be a copy of the Syliphone record, see under]
K7 - L'Eternelle Kade Diawara (AMC, Guinea-Conakry) - A brilliant 1990s return by Guinea's arc-angel, now in semi-acoustic vein. [THAT'S THIS ONE!!]

-(Hadja) Kade Diawara was born in 1940 in a village in Kouroussa (Sangbarala)
-in the 1970s Kade was the lead singer of the Ensemble Instrumental National (video, for more check his channel)
-in the early 2000s, she performed in the group of Djembe master Famaoudou Koyate, then operating out of Germany as far as I know, on his album 'Hamana Foli Kan' Kade did the main vocals.
-in the 2010s she's living in Coléah, a suburb of Conakry, according to some articles under difficult circumstances, but even then made some new recordings (see 2011 - Nimba No.013, 2011 - guinee-culture.org, 2014 - africaguinee.com, 2014 - afroguinee.com, as usual google likes to help with translations).

Before the full K7, you can listen here to a taped segment of a 1992 Andy Kershaw show in which was played a tape of vinyl recording of Kade Diawara:

Wednesday, 6 January 2016

When visiting a country and getting an impression of the actual music, it always is a good idea to buy a compilation. So when visiting Guinea Conakry late 1993, went to the market and bought this cassette (K7). It was sealed in platic and the back part of the box was black, so couldn't see the K7 itself.

front of K7

black K7 box

When later taking a drink in an open bar, the guy asked me what was up, and I showed him the K7 (still sealed and not played). He suggested to play it for me there, I gave him the K7, and he went behind somewhere to put in his player. Really liked the music, think stayed in the bar till it was fully played, payed the barkeeper and asked back my K7. When he gave it back, I automatically open the box, and was flabbergasted for a moment, on the cassette it read: Best American Hits Vol.7!!

My first reaction was, that when he played, he simultaneously copied it and by accident gave me back his copy instead of the original. I showed him the K7 and he said: "Yeah, that's your K7", and then I realised that he hadn't and couldn't have copied it and if you buy something on a local market, always check the contents, surely when sealed and you can't see inside!

Note: most info is in French, if needed translation Google really likes to help!
The two outstanding tracks for me are Les Amazones de Guinee (with a cover of a 1972 hit by Balla/Pivi et ses Balladins), the intro gives me goosebumps (everytime!!) and Doura Barry (a big hit in the late 80s!!, would love to hear his whole tape!! short review here).

About Me

This blog is made out of love for the music here presented in softcopy, if you like something, best support the music and artists by trying to buy a hardcopy yourself and visiting their concerts.

On this blog will be presented: original K7s with music from all over the world, radio broadcasts of live concerts (from K7 recordings and/or radio streams), all sorts of other musical items.Note: selections based on personal manguetic taste.

MY WISH LIST:music I know exist, never have heard, but love to have listened to at least once*Doura Barry - Laureat de Guinea (K7)*Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - early K7s*1980s live recs Super Biton*1980s/90s live recs Bembeya Jazz*1990s live recs Oumou Sangare*1980-85 live recs King Sunny Ade*1979-86 live recs Amazones de Guinee*recs Andy Kershaw BBC Sessions*recs BBC World Music Awards*Tinariwen - early K7s (1992/93)(will be continuous updated)